the town of fiskars

crafters, gardeners, or even those that have a particular affection for scissors (and maybe knives) may be familiar with the brand fiskars.  they make a wide range of products for the aforementioned group, but probably few realize that not only is it a finnish company, it is also named after the town of fiskars in finland.  its' history reaches as far back as 1649, where the company began by manufacturing a variety of iron products.  since then, it has changed hands several times evolved considerably into the international company it is now.

today, fiskars is a cute little artisan town, with cafes, restaurants, and many shops featuring unique artisan products.   you can also visit several artisan workshops, such as a blacksmith and a glass blowing studio.   it is an easy day trip, only about an hour and a half drive from helsinki.   this was my third trip to the town, and it was a chilly, cloudy day- a nice respite from the sunny, semi-hot days we had been experiencing.   between and after lunch and a coffee break, we leisurely perused familiar shops, studios, and an art exhibit.

i have horns.

i bought a 5 euro book about fiskar's history, and learned some interesting information about their signature orange handled scissors.  apparently, the color was chosen quite by accident.  the company had recently produced another product and was left with an excess of orange pigment, which was then used as a prototype for the scissors.   later the color was put to a vote, and the orange color was here to stay.  

good choice, i think, since orange is my favorite color!  

do you use fiskars products?  did you know that it was named after a finnish town?
did you also know that the company nokia was named after the town of nokia?

je ju island, south korea

it's getting a bit late to blog about this, so i'll make it brief. after our visit to taiwan, we headed straight to south korea to visit family friends.  our lovely hosts had arranged that we leave immediately to je ju island, an island at the very south.   we spent three days there, exploring the island with a private tour guide/photographer. our hosts had arranged our itinerary down to the T, and so all we had to do was follow. it was a mixture of indulgence (had a couple extremely rigorous massages given by tiny ladies and enjoyed some spa time) and sight-seeing. our activities ranged from seeing an elephant show to walks along the coast, eating tasty korean food, and even a surprise wedding shoot for my parents.  i played bridesmaid, while my parents dressed up as the bride and groom. our friend told me that she had arranged the photo shoot so that my parents could feel like newlyweds again.  how cute is she?  it may be one of the top 10 funniest activities of my life.   while i won't share any wedding shoot photos, here are few others from the trip.    

new fabric

don't ask me what the sign says.  i can recognize two characters in the shop name.  "bird" and "fabric".  i also know that on the far left it says "japanese import fabric".  

i ate my way through taiwan

i had a few objectives during my trip to taiwan:

1) spend quality time with relatives
2) sight see (for once)
3) eat as much great food as humanly possible

if given a letter grade for how well each objective was met, i'd give myself a B- for numbers one and two, but a solid, golden A for number three.  i have to thank my cousins for my triumphant grade, as they absolutely excel at eating.  in fact, i had forgotten how much more they love food than i do- something i think most people who know me would find difficult to believe.

almost everything that passed through my lips during the trip was delicious (and really, no exaggeration here).  i think it was a combination of my family's good taste, my genetic predisposition to love taiwanese food (if there is such a thing), and the icky asian food that i've had to put up with since our move to boston.  hearing me proclaim that i planned on gaining twenty pounds on my trip, my cousins accepted the challenge  seriously.  they did quite a bit of strategic planning, that often called for random stops on the road so they could wait in an absurdly long line for an interesting beverage or other street vendor food.  we would then all share a portion to ensure that we wouldn't get too full before the next food stop.  

one of the best places to eat a wide range of delicious goodies is at the night markets.  i also really enjoy being able to watch as my food is prepared.  here's a brief glimpse of some of the goodies we devoured.

hot hot hot scallion pancakes

i watched in fascination while this man made incredibly thin wraps (ours had a variety of vegetables inside) with just the twist of his fist.

i tried one of these for the first time - a thin crepe like shell with a red bean filling. we also tried ones with  cream filling and vegetable filling. mmm. so. good.  

globe trotting: taiwan

several weeks ago, i was talking to my mother on the phone about her upcoming plans to visit taiwan. during our conversation i mentally counted the years it had been since i had last gone with her and spent time with my relatives. it came out to be nearly ten years. i counted again. could it really have been that long?

the years really do go by with a blink of the eye.

so i did what i should have done several years ago. i invited myself to go along.

i had the best time ever.

the food. the family. everything.

here are some photos from my trip. it appears that i forgot to take pictures of taipei, which has become quite the city. as for the food, i think i'll have to save those photos for an entry of their own. most of the pictures below are from outside taipei.

a six person bicycle. loads of fun.

sweet bora bora

ah. sweet bora bora. initially i had doubts over the island- surely, the beauty must be much exaggerated? surely, the waters aren't really that blue?

wrong. and wrong again.

yes, bora bora really is that beautiful. and yes, the waters are that blue. my photos hardly do it justice. we stayed at the st. regis, which was luxury and beauty through and through. this is hardly our normal traveling style, but let me tell you, it certainly is something i could get used to...

two days in d.c.

the husband + i recently went on a quick trip to d.c. for a mini-family reunion. we were able to see a couple of old friends and spend a day with his brother (visiting from finland).

don't underestimate all the things you can do in two days.

you can....

dushanbe tea house - boulder, colorado

when i travel, i probably spend as much time researching food as i do attractions. we had several noteworthy meals in boulder, but the most interesting was afternoon tea at dushanbe tea house (you might remember my great affection for this tradition).

 

a weekend getaway to boulder

long weekends are excellent opportunities for short getaways, and the husband and i escaped this past labor day weekend on a quick trip to boulder, colorado. inspired by a couple friends, the trip destination was actually a surprise for him. he was very pleased and excited when he finally looked up at the display at our departure gate. there is nothing he enjoys more than time spent in nature.

it was a surprisingly hot weekend- a high of 96 on sunday, the day we took our longest hike in chataugua park. the altitude and dry air was a bit difficult for me, but it was worth it, because we saw FIVE chipmunks. yes, i counted.

the trail was about five miles long and ascended about kilometer upward.

the royal arch was the reward.  the rest of the trip was spent on more hikes, exploring the center, and of course, eating (sadly, the fires started the day we left...).
to be continued!

globetrotting in iceland: floating in a glacier lagoon

in the sparsely populated southeast iceland, lays vatnajökull, the largest glacier in europe. driving in this area of the country, you are exposed to glacier tongue after glacier tongue, so many that in a short time you lose count.  many of these are receding; a famous one, breidamerkurjökull has been melting into a glacier lagoon, jökulsárlón, only since the 1930s.

we took a 45 minute boat trip around the lagoon littered with little icebergs. never mind that the vessel was uncomfortably overflowing with people.  peering out at the water, you quickly forget the strangers practically pressing up against you. instead, you stare out in wide-eyed wonder, trying to understand how something so eerily beautiful exists.

the lagoon constantly changes. even in the short time we were there, we saw giant boulders of ice collapse and move before our eyes. it was mystical and absolutely breathtaking.

globetrotting in iceland: the horse not named frida

"what was the name of your horse?" the guide asked cheerfully, pen poised to jot it down onto my certificate.

"um, i'm not sure...she was solid white and i think it started with a F." i replied.

after a moment's thought, her eyes lit up and she scribbled down the name and triumphantly reported that my horse's name was frida.

my horse was most certainly NOT named frida. but as my certificate now clearly stated so, i decided not to argue.

maybe i should back up a little. the husband and i were just in iceland, on a 10 day vacation around the country. it was the second day of our trip, and we had just completed a little icelandic horse excursion right outside of reykjavik. although in general possessing lukewarm feelings toward horses, i had become somewhat enamoured by the idea of icelandic horses. therefore, i was very enthusiastic about this excursion, and had a made a point to book it early in the trip planning process. it wasn't until the end of our drive to the ishestar center (they conveniently picked us up at our hotel for the tour) when i decended from the mini-bus and hit my head on the door frame, that i began to wonder if this was actually a good idea.

globetrotting: the shearing shed in waitomo, new zealand

disclaimer: no rabbits were harmed during this photo shoot.
---

on one of the final days of our vacation, we visited the glow worm and ruakuri caves in waitomo, a few hours outside of auckland. en route, we happened to notice a quirky little red building called the shearing shed, advertising angora rabbit products and a free demonstration. i love demonstrations. i took a quick look in our lonely planet book, and saw that the place had a rabbit shearing demo everyday at 12.45pm. at 11.55am we found ourselves done with the first cave, with plenty of time before we were scheduled for the next one. so, we had a quick lunch next door at the huhu cafe and headed on over to the shearing shed, right on time.

how cute is he??

globetrotting: crafting at hell's gate

we began our second week in new zealand in rotorua, famous for their geothermal activity. during our last day there, we enjoyed the hell's gate geothermal park. little did we expect, the park ended with an optional craft activity!

we were given the opportunity to try a little wood carving, an important craft to the maori people. unfortunately, we didn't have so much time to learn about the tradition and history of maori wood-carving, but it was fun to try the craft.

we had a choice of the following designs. i chose a kiwi for the husband, and he chose a ponga for me. we were handed a little piece of wood with the image drawn on, plus a rubber mallet and chisel. the chisel had a v-shaped groove in it (images below). the maori wood-carving instructor gave us a brief demo and we were ready to test out our wood-carving skills.

globetrotting: me vs. franz josef

i climbed a glacier and i am proud to report that i did not fall off.
seriously.

a few days into our trip here (new zealand), we took a half day climb on franz josef glacier, the second largest glacier in the country (about 11 km long). we booked our guided hike via www.franzjosefglacier.com, which may very well be the only company that organizes these trips into the glacier. as i understand it (and i may be wrong), individuals are not allowed to hike the glacier without an experienced guide.

globetrotting: a glimpse of new zealand

i think i am in love.   

i'm currently on a grand vacation in new zealand with the husband. we've been here just over a week, and it is amazing. our little point and shoot just can't quite capture all the beauty.

if you haven't visited this fabulous country before, i strongly suggest you do so. what are you waiting for?  i don't want to hear any excuses about money- just sell a kidney. after all, isn't that why we were born with two?

globetrotting adventures - finland iii - marimekko

downtown helsinki is relatively small. you could probably walk through it in 30 minutes. maybe more, maybe less, depending where you start from and where you think downtown ends. regardless, it's not large. yet, there are three marimekkos downtown (there used to be four). two are even on the same street. aside from their stand alone stores, their products can also be found at all the department stores, and even at the local grocery store. marimekko is the only brand i have ever come across where it's possible to find the same design on your clothes, bedding, mouse pad, coffee mug, umbrella, tv, paper napkins, upholstery, purse... the list goes on.

with such a presence in the market, it's no wonder that marimekko goods can be found in nearly every finnish home. marimekko, like some of the other finnish brands such as iittala/arabia (also one of my favorites) is fully ingrained into finnish culture. and as i am sure you are fully aware of by now, it has completely sucked me in.

pictures from one of my several visits during our trip below.

oooh.

ahhhhh.
eek.
i broke down and bought one of these bags (the big one toward the bottom). don't worry i had a gift card.

!!!!!!

o.m.g.

i. spent. a lot. of. money.

happy new year!

globetrotting adventures - finland ii - christmas star pastries

one of the most traditional foods during the christmas holidays in finland is the "tähti torttu", or star pastry. the husband and i have always called them christmas stars. it is basically what an american would call a danish, with jam (plum) in the center of a puff pastry. with ready made ingredients, this is a very simple and delicious treat that finns enjoy during coffee time between christmas eve and boxing day.

to make these tasty treats, all you need is ready made puff pastry from your freezer section and some plum jam (and an egg for an egg wash). plum jam is something i have never come across in the u.s., but many other jams would make an appropriate filling, such as apricot, blackberry or raspberry. in finland, this pastry is so common that you can buy the puff pastry in pre-cut sheets with instructions on how to make the pastry on the box.

globetrotting adventures - finland i - christmas markets

since the husband and i do a fair bit of traveling, i thought it might be fun to write blogs on some of our globe trotting adventures. this series will be about our current trip to finland. i say "series" because i am hopeful that i will write a few entries during our stay, but this could just be a case of me being overly ambitious (again).

anyway, seeing as i am an etsy shop owner, it is almost needless to say that i really enjoy visiting crafts markets. and in another life, when the husband and were living in finland, i was able to visit different craft markets with some frequency, as they were/are pretty abundant.

two of my favorite markets in finland occur during christmas time, and they are the tuomaan markkinat (st. thomas' market) and wanhan joulu markkinat (old student house christmas market), both located in downtown helsinki with a couple of blocks of each other. i was really happy that we were able to arrange our finnish winter holiday to include time for these markets (and yes, we actually chose an earlier departure date just to ensure i wouldn't miss out on them).

at st. thomas' market, each vendor has their own cute little red "house", lined up together in two neat rows facing each other, down this mini park strip in the middle of downtown helsinki, known as the "esplanade". the middle part of the market spreads out in to a circle and then slims back down into the rows. the vendors sell all kind of things, ranging from ready to eat hot food, jams and honey, baked goods, salted and pickled herring, wet-felted goods, needle-felted goods, hand-made soaps, lotions, christmas ornaments/decor, clothes etc. i really enjoy tramping up and down the esplanade peering at everyone's goods, although it's difficult to be thorough when it's 10.4F (-12C) outside.

below: my one purchase at this market, a jar of sea-buckthorn berry jam. this berry is only found in parts of europe and asia. alone, the berry is supposed to be extremely tart, but as a juice or jam (meaning with lots of sugar) it is DELICIOUS.

the old student house christmas market is held in an building that is owned by the university of helsinki student body, and used to be the student union. the administration has since moved to a different building, but they still use this one for various events, such as this annual christmas market. i personally prefer this market over the st.thomas' one, partially because it's indoors, but also because the goods are a little more design oriented. there are a lot of metalsmiths, felters (finns do love their felting), knitters, sewers, and many other kinds of artisans. LOOK at all the different vendors!

i purchased a christmas ornament, a "christmas fairy". i already have one from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend from a couple years ago from this series. the artists does something new with the series every year.

this was an impulse purchase, but my most prized one yet- a wrist pin cushion, by muumuru.com. their website is pretty empty at the moment, but they were super kind and added a bow on my pincushion's head at my request, and also named her for me. her name is gunhild the grey. i know this sounds ridiculous, but i LOVE this pincushion. she is SO CUTE.

i fear that in the next two weeks i will shop so much that i will single handedly be responsible for a spurt in the finnish economy. good for them, not so good for my wallet. i have a tendency to go a little shopping crazy while i'm in this country. must be something in the water...